Behind the Finish Line: The Team Effort in Winning Races

While only the rider crosses the finish line, it takes a team, including mechanics, to win races. We spoke with rider Curtis White and mechanics Brenna Wrye-Simpson and Kurt De Roose about their roles and how they interface.

Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) was the 2022 US National Champion and a 3x Pan American Champion.

Brenna Wyre-Simpson is a mechanic and manager for Team S&M CX, a women’s elite cyclocross program. She was US National Champion Clara Honsigner’s personal mechanic in 2023–2024.

Kurt De Roose was Anna Kay’s personal mechanic for the 2023–2024, during which time Kay rode for Cyclocross Reds and earned her first British National Championships win.

Athletes and mechanics prepare for a flawless race day by communicating expectations in advance.

“The night before every race, I write down my schedule for the day and share it with my mechanics,” said White. “It is important for them to be on the same page as their athlete and not leave anything to chance. Acting with intent and not second-guessing yourself sets the tone for the day.”

Wrye-Simpson and Honsinger have a similar process: “We have a brief chat in the day or two leading up to the race weekend, confirming basic race day logistics such as departure time. We like to get to the venue at least three hours before race time, give or take a little bit of time to accommodate the changeable preride window.”

Wrye-Simpson and Honsinger’s efficacy benefits from their long-term friendship and professional relationship. Wrye-Simpson has been with Team S&M CX since its inception and supported Honsigner from her first forays into the discipline through her first Elite National Championships.

“We're coworkers and take our racing rapport very seriously, and we're also very close friends,” said Wrye-Simpson. “We know the motions of race day and our specific jobs quite well, so communication is easy, casual, and consistent.”

A critical component of race day is the “preride” or “course recon.” Both riders and mechanics have preride tasks and a strategy.

White does a three-lap preride with a different focus for each lap: “The first lap is for inspection. This is the slowest of the three laps. I stop at critical sections and watch other rider’s lines, repeat certain features, and identify potential hazards: rocks, roots, etc. On the second lap, I sew sections together to get a feel for how the course rides. The third lap is where I really test my equipment choice, riding critical sections at race pace. Throughout the entire preride, my mechanics are in the pits with spare tires.”

De Roose and Kay determine on what tread Kay will begin preride. Kay often asks De Roose for advice and the team’s sports director may provide guidance. For pressure, De Roose knows Kay’s normal range for each tread and course condition. He uses this knowledge to set Kay’s initial preride pressure.

Wrye-Simpson and Honsinger have a dialogue to determine intial preride tread and pressure. After arriving at the venue, Wrye-Simpson does a course walk and also views the bikes/tires of riders in earlier races. Her observations inform their tire selection.

During preride, mechanics provide pressure adjustments and switch wheelsets or bikes as needed. Between tasks, Wrye-Simpson uses her downtime to take a good look at the pit. This will help Honsinger decide what pit to change in.

Preride allows riders and mechanics to view the box they will work from. In most cases, the numbered pit boxes are pre-assigned. Occasionally, mechanics are allowed to negotiate box selection amongst themselves. If that is the case, athletes and mechanics determine a preferred box or end.

The athlete, coach, and sports director are responsible for overall race strategy, whereas the mechanic plays a key role in pitting strategy.

“Each course is unique and you can’t always use the same approach,” said White. “It is important to identify where on the course you can push and where you can rest. This can impact where you want to position yourself in the group.”

White uses visualization to rehearse his plan: “Before warmup, I close the van doors, close my eyes, focus on my breathing, and visualize the lap. I find that this step calms the nerves, but also helps find a flow state in the race.”

Wrye-Simpson’s course walk and pit observations inform Honsinger’s pitting strategy. “I'll take a holistic look at each ‘half’ of the course and then the conditions and shape of the pit lanes themselves. I’ll compare notes with Clara during and after preride,” said Wrye-Simpson.

Oftentimes, pit lane surface conditions drive exchanges. If the pit lane is faster than the race lane, riders will always exchange. If the pit lanes are slower than the race lanes, racers will exchange as needed on the less detrimental side (except in the case of mechanicals).

Wrye-Simpson describes pitting strategy at this year’s Tabor World Championships: “Pit 1 had an easy entry from a U-turn and was slightly downhill, so a rider could just pedal out of the U-turn and coast to a bike exchange. Pit 2 had a very awkward mud bog turn preceding it. The rider would have to force a change in their trajectory to reach the pit entrance. We knew pit 2 would really only be used in an emergency.”

As course conditions change, the rider may need to change pressures or treads. De Roose explains that this might be a call that he makes or Kay makes mid-race. De Roose may also provide different pressures or treads at the start and finish of a race. Kay may start on firmer tires and/or a lesser tread and then make a quick exchange. Likewise, if it seems the race will come down to a sprint, De Roose may provide firmer tires and/or lesser tread for Kay’s last exchange.

If she needs to make a pressure change, Honsinger will communicate via shouting or hand signaling in advance. Team S&M CX also encourages its riders to communicate during exchanges. “Riders know to try to communicate something about why they're coming in for a pit,” said Wrye-Simpson. “Examples include ‘Rear flat,’ ‘Crash,’ ‘Pedals,’ ‘Hanger,’ ‘Crash mode,’ or simply ‘Clean’ if all they wanted was a fresh bike.”

Besides cleaning and mechanical work, Wrye-Simpson tracks the race and feeds any relevant information to Honsigner. For example, in Hamme, deteriorating pit conditions caused Wrye-Simpson to suggest Honsigner switch their pitting side.

“Each time Clara passes the pit, I try to shout any current race information that will be useful or motivating,” said Wrye-Simpson.

After the race, the mechanics get to work detailing and repairing bikes.

Both Honsigner and Kay have bikes designated for racing, as well as a training bike. Race bikes are kept with the mechanic or at the Service Course midweek. This allows mechanics ample time to overhaul bikes and minimizes some wear and tear.

Wrye-Simpson and De Roose each follow their own end-to-end inspection, maintenance, and detailing process. “Post-race and back at home is where the real maintenance and upkeep happens,” said Wrye-Simpson. “You don't want to be fixing anything unnecessarily on race day.”